Raminai no longer a spectator but a player

By Malum Nalu It will be a baptism of fire today for Sunday Chronicle newspaper owner and Kagua-Erave MP-elect Wesley Raminai. Raminai, who was declared on Monday and joined the Alotau camp yesterday, said he did not expect there to be so much rivalry and competition in the leadup to election of a new prime minister today. “I’m new to this and I can’t believe it,” he said. “It’s a real baptism of fire for me. “I’ve been watching from the outside and now I’m in there. “I’m no longer a spectator but a player.” Raminai is confident that Alotau Camp will be victorious today with Peter O’Neill elected as prime minister. “We’ve got the numbers now,” he said. “I’m confident that we will win. “We’ve got 59 (MPs-elect) so we should be able to win.” Raminai contested in 2012 but was not successful. “When I ran in 2012, I learned from that and over the last five years have been planning for this election,” he said. “I wanted this to be the last time as I did, not want to run again. “This time I came home.” Raminai, 42 and from Torane village in Kagua, describes himself as a “self-employed businessman”. “Now that people of Kagua-Erave have voted me in, my life won’t be so private any more,” he said. “I’ll be in the spotlight. “I’ll work with the people and do my best for them. “Kagua-Erave has not seem much development over the last 20 to 30 years. “People have suffered enough. “My electorate is one of the least-developed districts in Southern Highlands. “This is one of the reasons why I stood for the election.”